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JACKSONVILLE, FLA. – Tiger cubs and local children will reap the benefits of a new grant awarded as part of Community First Credit Union’s Investing In You contest.

The Catty Shack Ranch Wildlife Sanctuary, a nonprofit agency dedicated to big cat rescue, won a $1,000 grant from Community First Credit Union to fund a new cabin and platforms for its five tiger cubs. Catty Shack Ranch is the second of this year’s six Investing In You winners to receive $1,000 through this summer’s community improvement contest.

“We are so grateful to Community First Credit Union for providing us with the forum to let the community know about our rescue work and education outreach” said Curt LoGiudice, executive director/curator of Catty Shack Ranch. “This grant will fund a cabin and platforms that will not only afford our cubs a space to interact, but also enable hundreds of school children to observe them.”

The mission of Catty Shack Ranch is to provide a safe environment to many of the great cat species that are endangered or threatened due to loss of natural habitat. Catty Shack Ranch educates the community about these big cats through its educational school tours. The sanctuary is also open on selected weekends to the public.

“Catty Shack Ranch has a long-standing presence in the community and impressive dedication to big cat rescue and education,” said John Hirabayashi, CEO of Community First Credit Union. “It’s apparent that their work really resonates with this community as their idea received an overwhelming 360 votes.”

Opportunities remain for four more winners to be awarded grants through the Investing in You campaign. The initiative launched in April, inviting anyone with an idea to make the First Coast a better place to participate. Entries can be submitted through Community First’s Facebook page. The credit union awards $1,000 every two weeks for 90 days, with the last winner being chosen July 13. Semi-finalists are chosen based on which ideas received the most “likes,” with a panel selecting the winners that will receive grant funding from Community First.